Oral Answers to Questions

Tony Lloyd Excerpts

Thursday 31st March 2011 Commons Chamber

[Tony Lloyd (Manchester Central) (Lab)]

2. What steps he is taking to promote expenditure on the manufacture of low-carbon technologies in each region.

[The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Mr Mark Prisk)]

The Government are supporting a range of projects across the country including offshore wind, nuclear manufacturing, low-carbon vehicles and marine energy.

[Tony Lloyd]

It is self-evident that if every part of this country is to take advantage of the strong future in low-carbon technologies, we need investment in skills and research and, of course, access to finance. We heard some platitudes in answer to the first set of questions from the Minister’s colleague, but will the Minister tell us in hard terms what will be done to ensure that young people get those skills, that we have the research and that we have access to a finance system that knows that technologies north of Watford are worth investing in?

[Mr Prisk]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to what the Budget set out very clearly last week, but let me give him the tangible example he requests. The technology innovation centre for advanced manufacturing is designed specifically to ensure that clusters where we have excellence can be enabled. It will help Rotherham, Coventry, Sedgefield, Bristol, Strathclyde and Redcar. I hope he welcomes that support.